Sasuke's Shinobi Way
by NaruLoverAI
Summary: Sasuke and his team attack the Gokage Summit! What will become of Sasuke as he plunges deeper into darkness? Will Karin be able to look at Sasuke the same way again? Rated T, but that may change. 1st SasKar fic btw...


**Before you read I would like to say I don't own Naruto...and I did use the manga for a lot of this fic, but I have added my own flare and tweaked things a bit. I promise I'm not trying to copy anything. Once again I give credit to the creator of Naruto and the manga.**

I had sent Suigetsu to check defenses, but why was he taking so long? _I swear if that idiot was captured... _

"Sasuke?" I glanced in Karin's direction.

"What?" I asked her. She shivered from the cold. The Land of Iron was not known for its tropical climate. Snow was always on the ground and falling from the sky. The black hooded cloaks we all adorned did little to ward off the biting cold.

"I can feel Suigetsu's chakra. He's coming back." She told me, as if reading my thoughts. I nodded.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out." Jugo chimed in, nodding towards the puddle accumulating in the center of our circle. Karin glared at him.

"Shut up." She growled. I shot both of them a deadly look and turned my attention to Suigetsu, who had formed from the puddle.

"Well?" I asked. Suigetsu's expression was grim.

"Looks like they've fortified their defenses because of the Gokage Summit." He explained. I contemplated this bit of information.

"Jugo, use animals to scout out the route of thinnest guard to the summit gate." I ordered. Jugo nodded.

"Okay." Jugo walked off in search of an animal he could utilize. Karin groaned and hugged herself to stay warm. The desperate look she was giving me made me want to hurl.

"Sasuke, you'll keep me warm, won't you? I mean—you wouldn't want me to freeze, would you?" She batted her eyelashes "cutely" as some would say, but more like "annoyingly" in my opinion.

"Sure he'll keep you warm. Maybe if we're lucky he'll set you on fire." Suigetsu teased. I smirked, and Suigetsu took notice of it. He looked at Karin and pointed at me. "See? Even Sasuke agrees that would be a good idea." Karin snarled and slapped him hard and Suigetsu's head jerked sharply to the left.

"Karin." I snapped. She flinched guiltily.

"Sorry, Sasuke." She apologized. Suigetsu whined and rubbed his sore cheek.

"Bitch." He muttered. Karin and I glared at him and he stared at the apparently now-interesting ground. _I swear at times I think I'm babysitting little kids..._ I blinked when I heard the screech of an owl, breaking me away from my thoughts.

"Sasuke!" I turned around and saw Jugo standing by some pine trees with an owl perched on his shoulder. I paused for a moment.

"Well?" I asked. We all waited for Jugo's response.

"A route climbs up from the west," he looked at the owl and nodded after a brief moment, "not too many lookouts." I nodded in approval.

"Nice work." I smirked.

"Thanks." Jugo muttered and let the owl go. I waited for him to come stand beside Karin before I began to bark more orders.

"Karin," I gained her undivided attention, "keep an eye on the chakra positions of the lookouts at all times. We're going in."

"Me too?" Karin exclaimed in disbelief. Suigetsu shot her a toothy grin.

"Time to let your skills shine." He teased.

"Zetsu, right?" I glanced in the direction of the said Akatsuki member hidden to all but me under the cover of the pine trees. He emerged from his hiding place with a smirk on his face.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"Confirm which one of them is Danzo. You're coming too." I told him. He nodded.

"Very well."

"Can't we just ambush and off him now?" Suigetsu asked. "I mean, I'm pooped already from avoiding all those samurai." I shook my head and Karin exploded.

"You stupid? If the Hokage's arrival is delayed, they'll know something happened! They'd send samurai reinforcements...and what if the other shadows came too?" She ranted. Suigetsu rolled his eyes and Jugo sighed. "When we have no idea of the enemy's abilities, it's best to bide our time and attack him on his way home," she looked at me, "right, Sasuke?"

"Hn. Just focus on the enemies' chakra positions, Karin." I told her.

"Ha, ha... Busted." Suigetsu taunted.

"Shut up!" Karin hissed. I felt a hand on my shoulder and glanced back at Zetsu.

"Seems like you have your hands full too, Sasuke." He said. _You have no idea._

"What's more important is to identify Danzo's face before the summit starts. Don't lie." I said. That last line was a clear warning to Zetsu. Karin pointed at Zetsu.

"I can sense chakra. And when one lies, one's chakra becomes muddied... I'll be keeping an eye on your chakra too, you hear?" Karin warned. Zetsu wasn't the least bit fazed.

"Why would I lie? Danzo's no friend of ours..." He assured.

"You remember the best way to the summit, Suigetsu?" I asked.

"Yeah; to the west and stick to the trees." He said.

"Zetsu, find us a spot with a clear view of the summit entrance. I wouldn't want to miss Danzo's arrival." I said. Zetsu nodded.

"I know the perfect place." He sounded almost delighted. I turned to Suigetsu.

"Lead on."

"That's him, that geezer in the middle." Zetsu pointed out. My Sharingan gaze locked on to the man with the ANBU escorts. We had a perfect view of the summit entrance, and we were completely out of sight from others.

"So that's Danzo." I said to myself. My focus on Danzo faltered when I felt a hand on mine. I didn't even have to look to know it was Karin.

"I sense some powerful chakras," her grip on my hand tightened, "the rest of the shadows are already inside. I know what you plan to do, Sasuke. Just please be careful." She whispered to me. I looked at Karin. I couldn't have her worrying and losing focus during this mission. Endangering her wasn't necessary.

"You needn't worry, Karin. I'll be fine." I smirked in a hopefully reassuring way and focused back on Danzo. I growled when he disappeared inside the summit.

"Alright, Zetsu I'll need you to..." I glanced to my left. No Zetsu. _I'm starting to not understand you._ I looked past the spot that Zetsu should have been occupying and shot Suigetsu a what-the-hell look. He just shrugged.

"I never noticed him leave." He admitted. I nodded and looked at Jugo, who was crouched next to Suigetsu. He shrugged as well.

"Sorry." He apologized. I rolled my eyes and turned to Karin, who was still squeezing my hand.

"Find him, Karin." I probably sounded annoyed, but I didn't care. She nodded.

"Of course, Sasuke." I watched her focus and inhale deeply. While she was busy with that I got Suigetsu and Jugo's attention.

"Suigetsu, I want you to keep an eye on anyone that steps out of that summit, okay?" He nodded.

"Yeah, sure."

"And you, Jugo, utilize another animal and see if you can find a way to listen in on the Gokage."

"Right." Jugo located a bird and started communicating with it. I felt the pressure on my hand let up and looked at Karin.

"Well?" I asked her.

"Sasuke, he's in the summit!" She exclaimed.

"What?" I asked in disbelief. _Does this mean he informed the Gokage of my arrival? _My features darkened.

"His chakra is dead center in the summit. Wait—I..." Karin gasped. "A powerful chakra just approached Zetsu. Um... Wha?"

"What's going on over there?" Suigetsu asked.

"Don't worry about it." I told him. He shrugged.

"Whatever."

"Zetsu's chakra suddenly faded. I can't tell what happened." She said finally. I nodded.

"Don't count Zetsu out just yet." I warned. _He's got more than a few tricks up his sleeve._

"This is...!" Karin gasped.

"What's the matter, Karin?" Suigetsu asked.

"The samurai's movements have suddenly become flurried! I think they're looking for us." She said.

"Damn." I muttered.

"I bet it was Zetsu." Jugo said.

"Probably." Suigetsu agreed.

"You three stay hidden. I shouldn't be too long." I said. As I went to leave, Karin grabbed my arm. "Karin..." I glared at her. She gave me that familiar lovesick look.

"Don't overdo it, Sasuke. I want you back in one piece." I jerked my arm away from her.

"I can handle myself." I snapped.

"Oh ho...Burn!" Suigetsu smirked.

"Shut up!" She shrieked. I grabbed Karin by her shoulders and shoved her against the wall.

"Quiet! If any of us get caught because of you...I swear you will live to regret it." I hissed. She nodded; her eyes wide with fear and newfound respect.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke. I'm sorry." She tried to touch me again, but I let her go and jumped off of the ledge of our hiding spot and landed behind one of four giant pillars surrounding a circular clearing with walls on every side. The only way out was through a gate most likely guarded by samurai. The other gate was the entrance to the Gokage summit. There I would find Danzo.

I carefully analyzed my surroundings with the Sharingan. _Behind._ I whirled around and jabbed a pressure point in the samurai's neck. He fell limply to the ground. I smirked and threw off my cloak, leaving me in my zipped up white shirt, black pants, rope belt, and black wrist guards. I felt a shiver run through me. Well, I would warm up in a fight.

"Looks like I'm in for a long fight at that." I said to myself. I sighed and looked up at the hidden area around the summit where my team was hiding.

"We're going to be found and captured in no time. It's no use... There are too many of them!" _Karin._

"Zetsu better watch his back!" _Suigetsu._

"How many do you sense, Karin?" _Jugo._

"Around 20... I'm sure they have backup ready, though." I let out a low growl. Did they want to be captured?

"Quiet!" I hissed at them. No sooner than I had said that did I hear the sound of footsteps and rustling armor. In moments I was surrounded by at least 20 samurai. One of the samurai approached me and pulled out his katana.

"Hah!" My eyes widened in genuine surprise when the samurai's hand began to glow. _So they can focus their chakra too?_ The other samurai quickly followed the first and they all pulled out their katana and lengthened the blades with chakra.

"So that's how they use chakra..." Lucky for Suigetsu I barely heard him.

"Oh! Sasuke! Why are you revealing yourself?" I had to smirk at Karin's pointless concern for me. I focused back on the samurai.

"I'm rather irritated right now. If you come at me I don't think I can hold back..." I warned them.

"We could say the same!" Some charged at me and others fired blades of chakra at me. I pulled out my own katana, fueled it with my chakra, and deflected every last attack. The pillar behind me was scratched up and chakra blades flew everywhere, but I wasn't touched.

"He repelled them?" One exclaimed.

"His blade work is similar to ours!" Another concluded. Then from the hidden ledge I overheard Jugo.

"Karin, you don't have to monitor the samurai anymore. Ferret out Danzo's location."

"But what are we going to do about the samurai?"

"I'll deal with them. Just find Danzo." I felt a familiar burst of dark chakra and with lightning speed I took out every last samurai without breaking a sweat. I looked around me. There were bodies everywhere—dead bodies.

"Hey! And after all your warnings to me not to kill anybody!" Suigetsu complained. Standing directly in the middle of the clearing I could look Suigetsu right in the eye. I met his misty blue gaze with red Sharingan.

"Just stay back and shut up." I ordered. Suigetsu bared his teeth at me. Karin gave me a desperate look.

"Sasuke! Please be careful! Let me help you!" She said. I shook my head.

"Endangering everyone isn't the logical thing to do in this situation, Karin." I told her.

"But getting yourself killed when you have teammates you can rely on isn't either!" She protested. I made a hand sign and appeared right in front of her and she gasped in surprise.

"Karin." I kept myself calm, but shot her an expression set in stone. She backed down and looked away from me. "Karin," she was hesitant to look back at me, "don't lose focus, you hear me? I need you to find Danzo. I can't do it without you." I told her. She blushed and nodded.

"Yes, Sasuke." I smirked; she was so easy to sway. I looked toward the Gokage summit entrance. That familiar dark chakra boiled up inside me when I realized something was coming. I glanced back down at Karin; she was shivering.

"Geez, Karin! It isn't _that _cold." Suigetsu teased her. She glared at him and then looked at me.

"Sasuke, your chakra changed. You're not the same Sasuke as before." Karin reached out and grabbed my hand. Instead of jerking away I crouched down in front of her.

"I'm still me." I assured her. Another violent shiver ran through her.

"I can't believe it's thicker than when you're in the curse mark second state...and colder." I gave her cheek a gentle caress just to calm her down.

"Sasuke, you need to see this!" Jugo tapped me on the shoulder and pointed at the clearing.

"What?" I asked, standing up. When I turned around my eyes widened. A huge well-built man was standing in the center of the clearing. Two other shinobi stood on either side of him. I pulled out my katana and glared down at him.

"Kid! I'm gonna teach you the fear of true fury!" The giant yelled. I leaped off of the ledge and charged the giant head on.

"Sasuke! Don't go in alone!" Jugo protested. I jumped up and swung my katana, intent on hitting the giant.

"Water Style! Water Wall!" The shinobi left of the giant made a wall of water, drenching me. Before I could react he made some quick hand signs. "Lightning Style! Emotion Wave!" The water came alive, surging with electricity. I was thrown backwards from the lightning and my back hit the far wall leading up to the ledge hard. I choked on air, but regained my posture almost immediately.

"Not bad." I said to myself. My body was slightly tingly. There were stray jolts of electricity bouncing off of me and I was still dripping wet. I looked back at the three shinobi. They were talking amongst each other. I glanced beside me. "I thought I told you to stay back." Jugo just nodded towards the shinobi.

"Those guys are Kumogakure Jonin...and the giant in the middle is the Raikage. They won't let us pass easily." He explained. Jugo and I watched carefully as the shinobi right of the Raikage made three quick hand signs.

"Wha...?" I muttered to myself.

"Here comes something." Jugo warned.

"Lightning Illusion! Flash Pillar!" The shinobi's body erupted into lightning as he charged at us. Jugo covered his face with his arms to block out the blinding light, but my Sharingan saw right through the Genjutsu. Suddenly the Raikage was in front of me with his fist raised.

"Sasuke...!" I had no idea what Jugo had seen, but it must've been pretty bad.

"Jugo, don't sweat it. It's a Genjutsu." I assured him.

"Should've figured, Sharingan." The shinobi who had cast the Genjutsu let it fade.

"You may have seen through the Genjutsu, but you're still too late!" My eyes widened. How had the Raikage gotten so close to me without my Sharingan detecting him? The Raikage raised his fist and the other shinobi behind me raised his blade. I tried to move, but found I was paralyzed. "Die!"

When I heard the clang of metal on metal I opened my eyes and smirked. The Raikage had brought his fist down on Suigetsu's executioner blade.

"Ugh! What monstrous power!" Suigetsu's arms looked like they were about to give out. Jugo had stopped the other shinobi's blade as well. Suddenly Suigetsu's blade broke under the tremendous force and the Raikage blasted a giant crater in the ground. Suigetsu, Jugo, and I used the confusion to add some distance between us and the Raikage. "Waah! My poor executioner's blade!" Suigetsu whined.

"Well, it'd already gotten cracked against Eight Tails, after all." Jugo reminded him. Suigetsu continued to pout.

"I know, but-"

"Enough." I snapped, cutting them off. "Don't make needless remarks."

"What's with the attitude? Not that it's not like you... Just remember I leaped in to _help _you." Suigetsu said, glaring at me. I looked back to our enemies; they were still blabbing. At least this would give us time to recover, however briefly. Suigetsu looked up at the ledge where Karin was laying low. "Karin was hunting out Danzo," he told me, "but that's a no go now." He looked at Jugo. "I bet she's going to erase her chakra since she's got that ability."

"So that guy in the back is a sensor type shinobi, huh... We gotta take him down." Jugo concluded. "I'll do it." He volunteered. I nodded my approval. We watched as Jugo gave in to his instincts and transformed to his curse mark second state. "**Gwa-ha ha ha ha ha! I'm gonna slaughter ya!**" Jugo growled.

"Hey, Jugo actually gave in to his killer impulse this time." Suigetsu said to me, grinning. "I hope he still remembers we're on his side." He added nervously. I reached for my blade when lightning began to explode out of the Raikage's body. He glared at me with pure anger.

"You need to learn your place!" He bellowed. Jugo stepped in front of us as the Raikage charged.

"He's fast!" Suigetsu exclaimed. The Raikage's reflexes were enhanced by lightning. He punched Jugo, forcing Suigetsu and I to leap out of the way as he smashed into the wall, causing a deep indention to form as a result of the brute force. Suigetsu had begun to fight with the other two shinobi, leaving me to deal with the giant of a Raikage. When the said giant had lowered his fist I knew Jugo would be of little help to us now, even if he was still alive.

"One down..." The Raikage said with a smirk. I focused my Sharingan on him. The Raikage didn't take his eyes off of Jugo. "I am no weakling! I can't be taken down by mere Sharingan!"

"Hn." I muttered, keeping my eyes fixed on the Raikage. My eyes caught something that surprised me. Jugo's eyes suddenly opened.

"**Mwa-ha ha... Die!**" Jugo fired his chakra beam at zero range, hitting the Raikage directly. I used the confusion from the blast to leap onto the ledge where Karin was. I stood near the edge, watching for the Raikage, hoping to see his dead body. Karin was up against the wall behind me, trying to be as invisible as possible. To my annoyance, I could feel she was staring at me lovingly.

"Could you come here?" She asked me. I looked over my shoulder at her.

"I'm a little busy." I told her, turning my attention back to the fight. The smoke cleared and there was no sign of the Raikage, but I did see Jugo standing against the wall with a grin on his demonic face. I looked over to Suigetsu's fight and smirked. He had already taken down the sensor shinobi (without killing him) and was locked in combat with the other shinobi, who happed to be a swordsman.

"**Kya-ha ha, killed ya! I killed him!**" Jugo laughed and looked around. "**Who's next?**" I glared down at Jugo. Something didn't feel right.

"Huh?" Karin gasped. I realized it the same time Karin did.

"Jugo!" My warning came a moment too late. The Raikage had gotten back up and elbowed Jugo with one of his heavy wrist guards. I growled angrily as Jugo hit the far wall and rocks fell onto his body. I pulled out my katana, fused it with my chakra, and in a blind rage I leaped off the ledge and swung the katana at the Raikage's back. He shot lightning at me, forcing me to put my katana away or risk losing it. I flipped backwards to give myself some room. The Raikage charged me and I fired up my Chidori and did the same. "Chidori!"

"Elbow Bolt!" Using my Sharingan I ducked to avoid the Raikage's attack and managed to stab him in the chest with my Chidori.

"Unh!" I grunted in pain as the Raikage grabbed my sides with both hands.

"A thrust attack! The power is enhanced with Raiton... The same jutsu as Hatake Kakashi's! I'm impressed that you were able to touch me through my Raiton armor!" The Raikage then roared as he lifted me well over his head and slammed me headfirst into the solid ground. "Liger Bomb!" The ground crumbled and shook with the intense force. "Huh?"

"Unh..." I was in pain, but luckily my Mangekyo Sharingan created a shield out of bone for me. Some of it was cracked, but at least I was alive.

"Hmph!" The Raikage let go of me. I took that opening to get up and get a few feet away from him. I felt blood run out of my left eye.

"Amaterasu!" Black flames shot toward the Raikage. I thought it would be a direct hit, but he teleported to the left, missing it completely. I looked at a samurai, giving the flames a new target. The flames danced past the Raikage and engulfed the samurai.

"Aaargh!" The samurai screamed.

"Put out the flames!" Another samurai ordered.

"It's not just a flame! Don't go near!" A third samurai warned. While I was focused on them the Raikage decided to attack.

"Lateral Bolt of Pain!" I didn't have enough time to turn around, so I reinforced my bone defence with Amaterasu flames. I glanced over my shoulder at him. I thought he would stop. "Never underestimate the Raikage!" I gasped as the Raikage chopped through the black flames, and my bone defence, hitting me square on the jaw. I fell backwards, landing hard on my back. I spit blood out of my mouth and saw the Raikage leap into the air with his heel right above my head. "You're finished!"

"Ugh!" I covered my left eye with my hand. I had to act now! "Inferno Style! Flame Control!" I used my right eye to direct the flames above me as a shield. I braced myself as the Raikage's heel made contact with...sand? The Raikage seemed just as surprised as I was.

"Sand?" He snapped angrily. The Raikage leaped backwards and landed in between the two shinobi from earlier. Suigetsu was standing near one of the pillars. I sat up and looked straight into the eyes of the Kazekage.

"Gaara of the Sand..." I smirked weakly. Temari and Kankuro were helping the samurai I had burned earlier.

"So these are the eternal flames... The Amaterasu, huh..." Kankuro said. Gaara looked at the samurai.

"You samurai stay back. This is shinobi world messiness. There's no need for samurai to become casualties." He told them.

"Th-thank you, Lord Kazekage..." A samurai replied gratefully.

"...What's going on?" I heard Suigetsu mutter.

"Why'd ya interfere, Kazekage? Not that I'm going to forgive you either way!" The Raikage snapped bitterly. Gaara was not fazed.

"If you had continued your attack, you would have been further injured by the black flames." He replied coolly. Then his eyes locked with mine. "Plus, there's something I'd like to ask Uchiha Sasuke." I stared at him curiously.

"Hmph!" The Raikage glared at Gaara. I glanced at him as he cut his arm off—the one I had burned with the black flames. The other shinobi gawked at him.

"B-boss!" The swordsman exclaimed. The Raikage looked at the sensor shinobi.

"Shee, hurry up and stop the bleeding! Soon as you're done, I'm going after Sasuke again!" He bellowed. Shee just nodded and began to heal him.

"Your eyes are still as they were in the past..." I looked back to Gaara as he spoke. Temari and Kankuro were now standing on either side of him. "I have come to realize that making vengeance one's bread of life does not resolve anything. It is not too late for you... Do not be so obsessed by hatred that you escape into a world of solitude...or else you will not be able to return." Gaara warned.

"So...if I were to return..." I inquired. "...What is there for me on your side?"

"Gaara... It's useless... If he could be convinced, Naruto wouldn't have failed. He's a criminal who's fallen to the level of the Akatsuki... He's not you." Kankuro explained. I smirked. He couldn't be more right.

"Besides which, neither Lord Raikage nor the others harmed by Akatsuki will stay silent. The moment he attacked the Gokage Summit, he became wanted internationally... He's got no future anymore anyway." Temari said, agreeing with Kankuro. _They have no idea how right they are._ I thought. Gaara didn't seem to listen to them.

"Sasuke, you're a lot like me... You've been walking through this world's darkness..." Gaara's eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope. "That's why even a tiny ray of light ought to reach your eyes. Whether in the past...or now..."

"I shut my eyes a long time ago... The things I seek lie only in the darkness." I coughed up a little more blood. "You should listen to your siblings, for they speak the truth." I added, standing up.

"Don't let your personal feelings interfere... Remember, you're Kazekage." Kankuro reminded him. Gaara crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

"Gaara..." Temari was backing up Kankuro. I watched as sand began to pour out of Gaara's gourd.

"Yeah..." A tear ran down his face. "I know!" As his sand blasted toward me I quickly countered with black flames. Temari's fan extended fully, and Kankuro pulled out his newest puppet—Akasuna no Sasori. Gaara's sand smacked the flames away like they were nothing. I smirked at Gaara.

"You block my attack so effectively... I guess your absolute defense is still going strong." I taunted him.

"I'll join forces with you, Sand folk!" The swordsman shinobi ran over to the three siblings. "I'll make the first strike! Then you can all follow up!"

"Sure, Darui!" Kankuro agreed. The swordsman—Darui—clapped his hands together.

"Gale Style! Laser Circus!" Temari swung her giant fan.

"Cyclone Scythe Technique!" Kankuro attached puppet strings to Sasori.

"Secret Red Technique! Puppet Triad!" Small pellets began forming in Gaara's sand.

"Sand Shower Barrage!" Large bursts of lightning shot out of Darui's hands, Kankuro's puppet shot kunai at rapid speed, deadly bursts of wind whirled toward me, and pellets of sand were coming at me like bullets.

When the attacks hit their mark there was a deafening explosion of wind, sand, kunai, lightning, and other debris.

When the smoke cleared I was standing, completely untouched. A dark chakra pulsated throughout my body. A horned skeleton, which ended at the waist, engulfed in shadowy black flame surrounded me. I smirked.

"But Gaara... I've got an absolute defense that's even greater than yours." I stated.

"That's the shield he used against my attacks..." The Raikage observed in awe.

"Looks... Kinda tricky..." Suigetsu remarked from behind a pillar nearest to me.

"What _is _that?" A samurai exclaimed fearfully. Gaara's eyes remained fixated on me, not my dark defense.

"The power...of darkness, huh..." His voice was an octave higher than usual, but his features remained cool and calm. I smirked at Gaara.

"A power that only those who have awakened the Mangekyo in both eyes can achieve... The third power... The Susano'o." I explained; my voice was a chilling cold.

"Susano'o...?" Gaara repeated uneasily.

"So _that's _the Mangekyo Sharingan..." Temari concluded. Kankuro glared at me.

"Uchiha... Always has something hidden up his sleeve...always."

"Darui, Sand folk! Retreat for now!" The sensor shinobi urged. I cackled fiendishly as the Susano'o raised a sword made of the same shadowy darkness and slashed at the pillars. Two pillars came crashing down, burying samurai in heavy debris.

"The pillars!" A samurai exclaimed in horror.

"The ceiling's gonna collapse!" Another cried. One more pillar collapsed. The Raikage and Gaara looked up at the rain of debris around them. I knew Gaara was making a sand shield to protect everyone from the deadly rain. I heard the sound of debris and clanking metal.

"What? Hey!" Suigetsu cried.

"Waaah!" I heard the cries of the samurai as they vanished under the dust and chaos. I also noticed Jugo's body had been tossed somewhere. As Susano'o brought the sword down on the final few pillars, I pulled out my own katana. When Karin fell from the ledge I directed the free hand of Susano'o and made it catch her.

"Aiee!" She screamed as Susano'o tossed her backwards. "Ugh!" I heard her body hit the ground behind me hard. "Unh..." She moaned. When the chaos had finally stilled, there was a huge wall of debris blocking me and the Gokage Summit entrance from everyone outside. I smirked and let Susano'o dissipate for now.

"Have you pinpointed Danzo's location?" I demanded.

"Yeah..." Karin replied nervously. I turned to look at her.

"Take me there." I ordered. She made no move to get up from her current position on the ground.

"What about Jugo and Suigetsu...? Their chakras are still..."

"Forget them... Danzo first!" I insisted. She shuddered, but still didn't get up. That's when I began to get annoyed. "Hurry up and take me there!" I snapped. A defeated look formed on her face.

"A-all right." She stuttered. "What's happened to you, Sasuke?" She asked as she struggled to stand. I ignored her.

"Don't make me say it again, Karin." I warned her.

"Sorry." Karin began to walk into the Summit and I followed beside her. The halls were long and bare. As I was looking around I realized it would be impossible to find Danzo here without a sensor shinobi. I looked at the annoying girl beside me. A sensor shinobi like Karin.

"How much further?" I asked her, intent on getting my mind back on task. She avoided eye contact with me. I didn't blame her since my bright red Sharingan was the only thing illuminating the halls besides the occasional candle here and there.

"A few more turns and another hallway at most. When we reach our target point we'll be right above the conference room." She explained.

"Excellent." I stated approvingly.

"I should probably try to seek out Jugo's and Suigetsu's chakras..." As she went to focus I squeezed her shoulder.

"No," she looked at me questioningly, "I want you to focus on Danzo only. Suigetsu and Jugo can handle themselves. Besides, I though you hated them." Karin sighed.

"A leader should give a damn about his teammates." She said somewhat bitterly. I glared at her.

"I do give a damn about them, but they know the mission comes first!" I snapped. Karin clapped her hand over my mouth and shoved me against the nearest wall.

"Shush! We're getting too close for snapping." She whispered. My Mangekyo Sharingan faded back to the regular three-pronged one. My eyes studied hers carefully. She was scared, but she was also concerned for me. She fears me, yet she claims she loves me. I reached up and gently gripped her hand, lowering it away from my mouth.

"Watch yourself, Karin." I smirked at her. She blushed when she noticed I had not released her hand. I loosened my grip and she pulled her hand back slowly. It seemed she didn't want me to let go. For the first time I noticed the darkness bothered her. With my Sharingan I could see everything as if it were broad daylight. _But to her this hall must be pitch black. If I didn't have my Sharingan activated she wouldn't be able to see me. _I thought. "Are you afraid?" I questioned. Her face radiated confusion.

"Of you?" I shook my head.

"Not me; the dark." I corrected.

"A little." She admitted. "But knowing so many enemies are around only intensifies it."

"Hn. Your sensory abilities falter when you're nervous. Stay calm." I told her.

"I-I'll try..." She stuttered. I stepped away from the wall and purposely bumped into Karin, just to see her reaction. She gasped and threw her arms around my neck. Not the least bit shocking. "Sasuke..."

"Get off." I tried to not get mad at her. She let me go.

"Um, this way." She walked ahead of me this time, and I could tell she was having a hard time seeing. I was walking a few feet behind her, which didn't help to supply any light. We turned the corner and the hall suddenly ended with a narrower hall going left, and descending stairs on the right. Luckily there were two candles on both walls, illuminating the area. I could tell Karin was glad to be in that small area of light in the otherwise dark halls.

"Which way?" I asked her, looking to the left and then the right. She glanced at the left hall.

"That hall is only a few feet long and it ends right above the conference room. Danzo will be right below you." Karin adjusted her glasses. I nodded.

"Then what are we waiting for?" I inquired. She made no move to follow me. I glanced over my shoulder at her. "Karin?"

"I'll be going down the stairs and entering the room another way. I won't fail you, Sasuke." That familiar lovesick look was back on her face.

"I know." I replied. I focused back on the short hallway when I realized Karin was right behind me. I whirled around quick enough to get a set of lips locked on mine. I was about to shove her away, but she pulled back, blushing fiercely.

"Don't die, Sasuke... I need you." She licked her lips in satisfaction as she proceeded down the stairs. I glared at her back and wiped my mouth.

"Crazy bitch." I muttered, going in the opposite direction.

As soon as I entered the conference room some geezer from the Land of Iron attacked me. My Sharingan remained fixated on the man with the bandages over one eye and the ANBU escorts.

"Die!" I brought my katana up effortlessly to deflect the Iron geezer's attack. "You're good." He commented. The geezer jumped backwards, landing at the conference table. I sheathed my sword and glared at the spot Danzo had been occupying only a moment ago. _Where did he go? _I thought.

"Sasuke! Danzo's bolted!" Karin exclaimed. I looked at her and she pointed to a large hole in the wall. I looked back at the table in time to see a Mist shinobi with an eye patch running towards Danzo's escape route.

"No!" I growled. I didn't want to start anything, however. My injuries from the Raikage were still severe. When the shinobi reached the hole he turned to the Mizukage and another Mist shinobi with a sword.

"Lord Mizukage and Chojuro, stay here! I shall pursue Danzo! Since the summit has not been concluded!" He volunteered. The Mizukage nodded and brushed some of her hair out of her face.

"Very well... But don't go overboard!" She warned.

"Yes ma'am! I leave the Akatsuki criminals to you." And with that said, he bolted after Danzo. I went to go after him.

"Karin, come!" I ordered.

"Eek...!" Karin shrieked as she ran after me. Before I made it through the hole, I found myself dodging some kind of red liquid. Blood? The liquid bubbled and ran down the hole, sealing it completely. No, lava. Now Karin and I were both standing in front of a sealed hole. I turned towards the Mizukage and glared at her.

"You of the Akatsuki, who trampled all over Kirigakure...and made a plaything of the Fourth Mizukage..." She wiped away the lava dripping from her lips. "...And yet when I look at you closely... You're quite fetching men. You Uchiha folk..."

"Do not interfere!" I warned, activating my Mangekyo. The Mizukage sighed.

"...Such a fine man... What a waste." She stood up from her chair. She leaned forward just enough to show a generous amount of cleavage. I continued to glare at her. "I'll _at least _give you a kiss that will melt you away." She purred, running one finger over her lips. Karin didn't like that.

"Who and what are you, cad? Don't make eyes at him, you old bag!" She exploded. The Mizukage jumped over the table and made some hand signs.

"Lord Tsuchikage, if you're not going to participate, please go run and hide somewhere, ok?"

"Hmph!" The Tsuchikage crossed his arms and remained in his seat. His huge Stone escort was standing behind him. My eyes focused back on the Mizukage, who was fixing to attack.

"Lava Style! Lava Monster Jutsu!" That same attack from before shot at me. My bone shield formed again, protecting me for the most part.

"Aiee!" Karin shrieked as she was thrown across the room from the blast.

"Chojuro!"

"Y-yes, ma'am! Hiramekarei Release!" Chojuro swung his sword and I held my arms up to try and block as much of the blow as I could. It hit me and I flew through the hole in the wall and my back slammed against the stone wall of another hallway. I got up on my hands and knees, panting.

"Ugh!" I groaned in pain. My bone shield was still around me. I looked up and saw that the hole had resealed itself. I winced again as a fresh wave of pain overtook me. _All my cells hurt... So this is the Susano'o side effect... If you use it continuously... _I continued to pant heavily. "Ugh!" I hissed and squeezed my eyes shut. _This much pain. I haven't even achieved complete possession form yet... How bad was it for Itachi? _I thought. When I heard something dripping I opened my eyes again. The only other hallway was completely sealed.

And the Mizukage was standing there smirking in the now-completely sealed room.

"Now it's just the two of us." She laughed. I looked back at the other sealed exit. "I sealed that wall behind you during my first attack... This room is now completely sealed... There's nowhere to run." I stood up shakily and watched as she made some hand signs. "I can use three chakra natures: fire, water, and earth. So I possess two Kekkei Genkai. Vapor Style! Solid Fog Jutsu!" My eyes widened as she blew some kind of fog out of her mouth. I didn't think much of it until my Susano'o bone shield began to melt.

"How can it melt Susano'o...?" I whispered to myself. I took a deep breath and focused what was left of my chakra. "HAAAAH!" I forced Susano'o's horned skeleton form to surround me. I gasped and fell to my knees. Blood seeped out of my mouth, nearly choking me. When the horned skeleton form had dissipated, I knew I had taken too much damage.

"You got pummeled by Lord Raikage down there...I have no intention of saving you... Though it pains my heart to watch such a handsome man melt away to nothingness...you're going to have to die." She told me.

"Ugh!" I looked down at my arms. _Corrosive acid mist? _To feel my skin burning away was agonizingly painful. Put that pain on top of Susano'o's side effect, and I was just about finished.

"Huh?" I looked up at the Mizukage. White globs were forming all over her...?

"What the...?" I whispered. Suddenly the globs began to form into one mass on her body. Then Zetsu's upper half took shape.

"Y-you're that Akatsuki from earlier!" She exclaimed. Soon the mass had completely consumed her. I gasped as the glob latched on to me.

"What's going on?" I growled. "Wha...?" My chakra was regenerating! When it regenerated fully the glob dissipated. I smirked and my renewed chakra level allowed me to reform Susano'o's horned skeleton. The shadowy shield quickly punched through the sealed wall. I emerged from the hole and stepped back into the conference room. The remaining people in the room also had those same globs on them, minus Karin.

"Sasuke! Are you all right?" Karin exclaimed. I looked at her—she was crouching near the table.

"Don't worry about me, Karin." I told her. I looked up at the ceiling, where the Tsuchikage and his escort were standing.

"She's having trouble with him... Shall we join in, Akatsuchi?" The Tsuchikage asked. His escort nodded.

"Sure!"

"Hmph! Earth Style! Weighted Boulder Jutsu!" Large rocks ripped Zetsu's globs off of their bodies.

"Aiee!" Karin had to jump over the table to avoid being smashed by the falling rubble. She landed on me; I caught her and stumbled back. I was still holding her even as the Tsuchikage was coming towards me.

"I can't believe that brat took down Deidara..." He growled. Karin wrapped her arms tightly around my neck, and I had one arm tight around her waist. My other hand was busy covering my left eye, which had begun to bleed. "I've got no grudge against you...but many shinobi seek your death." I knew something big was coming. I threw Karin as far away from me as I could.

"Eek!" She hit the ground a good distance away from me. I looked back at the Tsuchikage.

"Particle Style! Atomic Dismantling Jutsu!" As soon as that cube of chakra hit me I blacked out. I faintly heard Karin scream my name, but nothing was heard after that.

Now, there was an obvious question running through my mind: _am I dead? _There was also an obvious answer: _no._ I could still feel the pain from my fights, but everything was still black. I didn't have the strength to become conscious again yet.

I found myself walking through a long, dark tunnel. My eyes narrowed as I looked at the faint light at the end of the seemingly long tunnel.

"Maybe this is a way out?" I said to myself. As my feet sloshed through the dark waters in the tunnel, I began to have some flashbacks.

"_I'll become Hokage someday, teme. Believe it!" _I knew that was a familiar line of Naruto's when he was younger. _"Why? Why did you let me live?" _I shuddered; Naruto had said that to me before we fought at Orochimaru's old base not too long ago.

"Ugh." I didn't want to go through any more painful flashbacks. The tunnel just seemed to get longer and longer.

"_Oh, Sasuke! Please take me with you! Please!" *sob* _I remembered Sakura saying that to me the night I left Konoha. _"Come back to the village, Sasuke! Please!" _She said that to me at Orochimaru's old base.

"Make it stop!" I screamed and fell to my knees. I covered my ears and closed my eyes, hoping I could ward off any oncoming flashbacks.

"_Sorry, Sasuke, maybe next time." _I saw the kind face of Itachi back when he was younger. I saw him poke my five year old self in the forehead like he always did.

"_Foolish little brother, if you wish to defeat me then foster your hatred...despise me." _

"No! No!" I screamed again. I looked up and gasped. Itachi's bloody form leaned down in front of me and poked me on the forehead.

"_Sorry, Sasuke, no next time." _Those had been my brother's final words before he died by my hands. The form in front of me faded.

"Itachi! Wait!" I called desperately. He was gone. "I can't take this!" I got up and ran as fast as I could through the tunnel that I realized was a tunnel of my memories and mistakes.

"_Your eyes are the same as mine."_

"_Believe it!"_

"_Sasuke likes me more, Ino Pig!"_

"_Does not, Forehead!"_

"_I'm impressed. Two bursts already."_

"_Come to me, Sasuke. If you want power..." _

"_I thought you were my friend!"_

"_Please, Sasuke! Please take me with you!"_

"_Don't go!"_

"_I'll bring you back to the village if I have to break every bone in your body!"_

"_Do you have someone who is...precious to you?"_

"_The darkness has consumed him."_

"_I don't think he's coming back."_

"_I refuse to give up!"_

"_Naruto, this is a request of a lifetime. Just please bring Sasuke back to me!"_

"_Why did you let me live?"_

**"_He's the real thing; a true avenger! That is Sasuke's shinobi way!"_**

"No! I never wanted it to be this way!" I screamed, emerging from the tunnel. I was momentarily blinded by a bright light.

I opened my eyes slowly. The first thing I saw was Karin hovering over me with a worried look on her face. She wasn't wearing the black hooded cloak anymore. Just her regular long-sleeved purple shirt, her black shorts, and her black knee boots.

My everything hurt. I was in so much pain. But at least there was no more blood on my face.

"Unh..." I groaned. I clenched my fists and felt something soft. It didn't take me long to realize I was lying on a bed.

"Are you all right, Sasuke?" Karin asked me softly. I looked at her and deactivated my Sharingan.

"No." I replied blandly. I sat up without too much difficulty and looked around the room.

"We're in an infirmary. Madara pulled some strings and we got you in." She told me. I nodded.

"But where are we?" I asked.

"Just a small town outside the Land of Iron." I glared at her.

"Are you crazy? I'm an internationally wanted criminal!" I protested. "I can't be seen here!" Karin squeezed my bare shoulder. I looked down at my bare upper half. "And where is my shirt, Karin?" I demanded through clenched teeth.

"Relax, Sasuke. Madara has everybody in the infirmary under a powerful Genjutsu and I took your shirt off so I could have a look at your wounds...plus it was all bloody." She explained.

"Unh..." I winced. Karin rolled up the sleeve of her shirt. I looked at the numerous bite marks on her arm.

"Bite me." She ordered. I looked at her like she was crazy.

"Why?" I asked, genuinely confused. She rolled her eyes and held her wrist up to my mouth.

"I can heal you this way by giving you some of my chakra." She told me. I was hesitant, but I bit down on her wrist gently. "Harder!" She demanded. I glared at her and bit down hard enough to draw blood. She moaned softly. I tried to ignore that. But, she was telling the truth; I could feel her chakra entering my body and my wounds were healing rapidly. I removed my mouth and Karin got up to wash her new wound in the sink.

"Hn." I hated the taste of blood. It reminded me of too much. When Karin came back to sit in the chair next to my bed, she had some bandages on her wrist. I watched her roll her sleeve back down. I looked away from her as I felt a weird feeling inside my stomach. It was a fuzzy feeling that was most unwelcome. _Must be from the unfamiliar chakra._ I thought.

"Sasuke..." I looked at Karin.

"Yeah?"

"You remember when we were in that hallway, right?" She asked me. I nodded.

"What are you getting at?" I questioned. She blushed.

"Did you like it?" She asked.

"Like what?" I was trying to remember what she was talking about. She looked at me in disbelief.

"The kiss." She finally said. I sighed.

"No, Karin. That was uncalled for and I didn't appreciate it either." I replied. She looked away from me.

"I see. Sorry, Sasuke." She apologized. I stood up from the bed and made sure I had my katana.

"Let's go." I ordered. Karin made no move to get up. I turned to her. "I said let's go." Again, she didn't budge, her eyes held a rebellious look.

"Not until you give me a kiss." She crossed her arms and glared at me. I activated my Sharingan.

"I wouldn't kiss you if you were the last whore on the planet." I hissed. Karin walked up to me and shoved me against the wall.

"I'm a virgin." She stated bluntly. I smirked.

"Yeah, and I'm the next Hokage." I retorted. "Let's go; I need to talk to Suigetsu and Jugo."

"Suigetsu and Jugo haven't made it here yet. We've got some time to kill." Karin smirked and pressed her body against mine. I smirked at her as I threw a kunai right past her. "You need to work on your aim, Sasuke." She teased.

"That's what you think." With a flick of my wrist the ninja wire attached to the kunai wrapped around Karin's arms, successfully immobilizing her.

"Hey!" She protested. I walked away from her and sat back down on the bed. She walked over to me and stood in front of me. "Untie me, Sasuke. Unless you're into the whole bondage thing."

"You wish." I spat, glaring at her. She batted her eyelashes at me.

"Please untie me, Sasuke-kun. I need you...I need you so badly right now." She purred, blushing. Ugh! She was even more annoying tied up. I rolled my eyes and cut her bonds with my katana. She pulled the wire off of herself while I sheathed my katana.

"Back away." I ordered. Karin giggled and tugged at my rope belt. I grabbed her hand and glared at her. "Hell no." I spat. Karin smirked.

"When was the last time you had some fun, Sasuke? Loosen up; let me make you feel amazing." She untied my rope belt with her other hand and threw it somewhere not near me.

"Karin!" I snapped, grabbing her other hand. Now I had both of her hands. She struggled to pull free, but my grip was too powerful for her to break out of. She just leaned in closer so that her face was maybe an inch away from mine.

"Kiss me." She whispered.

"No." I replied firmly. She pouted.

"Please, Sasuke!" I shook my head.

"I said no, _Karin_." I spat her name out as if it were poison. Karin tore out of my grip with tears in her eyes and stormed to the other side of the room. I sighed. "Let's go." I stood up and found my belt, tying it around my waist so my baggy pants wouldn't fall down. I walked over to Karin and brushed my body against hers. She gasped and turned to face me. I looked at her and it was obvious she hadn't let any tears fall.

"Sasuke." She whispered, wrapping her arms around my neck. This time I let her stay like that. Our eyes met and I pressed my lips against hers and pulled away just as fast. Karin blushed and smiled.

"There's your kiss now let's go, whore!" I urged impatiently. Karin giggled and gladly followed me out of the infirmary.

When we got out of the building I realized Jugo and Suigetsu had still not shown up.

"What's keeping those idiots?" Karin fumed. I shrugged.

"Knowing Suigetsu, he's probably moving as slowly as possible." I assumed.

"Yeah." Karin agreed. She looked at me. "You wanna walk around?" She asked me.

"Too dangerous, Karin. We're all wanted internationally now." I reminded her. She huffed.

"Yeah, don't remind me." She muttered.

"You two don't have to worry about being found out." A familiar voice assured. I whirled around in time to see a familiar Akatsuki cloaked mask wearer.

"And why is that, Madara?" I questioned. Madara chuckled.

"Because this place is at the mercy of my Sharingan." He explained. Karin latched on to my arm.

"Madara?" Karin began. He looked at her.

"Yes?"

"Um... I want to thank you for saving Sasuke before." She told him. I raised an eyebrow.

"He saved me?" I asked.

"Yes, I did. And you're welcome, Karin." He replied with a nod. "I wasn't about to lose two perfectly good eyes." He added. "Oh, and Sasuke?"

"Hm?" He pulled a shirt that looked just like my old one (only cleaner) out of his cloak. Why the hell did he have that?

"Put this on." He said, handing me the shirt. I took it and pushed Karin away so I could put it on. As soon as I had it on she latched on to my arm again. "After you're done here I want all of you to report to the Akatsuki base in Ame. Got it?"

"Very well." I nodded.

"Good. Farewell." Madara vanished in a cloud of smoke. Karin sighed.

"I wonder if Madara is as sexy shirtless as you and your brother... He is your uncle after all." She said dreamily. I rolled my eyes. _How would she know what Itachi looked like shirtless? She's never even met the guy..._

"Restrain yourself, Karin. He's about 104 years too old for you." I told her. She made a disgusted face.

"Ew, never mind then." She shuddered. "Let's just take a walk."

"Fine." I started walking down the street, which wasn't that crowded. No one seemed to pay any attention to us. Karin was still attached to my arm, but I really didn't care.

We had been walking for a good hour and when we made a turn into another district my heart and feet both stopped. Karin looked at me.

"What?" She asked.

"No way." I whispered. There, sitting on the roof of a hotel, in a meditative stance, was none other than the number one hyperactive knucklehead ninja of Konoha: Naruto Uzumaki. Karin followed my eyes to see what I was looking at and gasped.

"Isn't that...?" She panicked. I pulled my arm out of her grip.

"Get away from here." I ordered. She shook her head.

"I'm not leaving you here to deal with the Nine Tails kid alone!" She snapped. I pushed her against the side of a building so we were encased in shadow.

"I ordered you to leave here and I expect you to obey me." I hissed. She shook her head.

"No, Sasuke. I won't leave you." She stated stubbornly. I gritted my teeth in frustration.

"Go; I'll catch up to you." I promised. She threw her arms around my neck.

"No! I said no! I won't leave you! Get that through your ego-inflated head!" She whispered sharply. I raised my hand to slap her, but I sighed and lowered my hand.

"Just. Go. Now." I enunciated each word carefully and calmly.

"No. I. Won't. Leave." She was bordering on insanely annoying.

"I'll unleash Susano'o." I threatened. Karin's eyes widened.

"Y-you wouldn't." She stuttered. I smirked.

"Don't try me." I shoved her off of me. "Now go."

"You promise you'll come back?" She asked me. I nodded. "Fine." She turned the corner and I felt her chakra become fainter as the distance between us increased. When I was sure she was far enough away I looked back up to the roof at Naruto.

"Still meditating, dobe?" I smirked. I stayed in the shadow and just watched him.

He was like that for a while until I felt more familiar chakras approaching. I looked past the hotel and saw Sakura followed by Lee, Kiba and Akamaru, and Sai. "What are they doing here?" I wondered. I continued to watch as Sakura walked up to the hotel and called for Naruto. The said ninja's eyes opened and he looked down at Sakura. He said something, but I couldn't make it out.

I had to get closer. I maneuvered carefully out of sight, until my back was pressed against the wall of the building right across from the hotel. I made sure to mask my chakra. Sai, Lee, Kiba, and Akamaru all had their backs to me, and Naruto and Sakura were facing each other, so I got a side view of them both. I deactivated my Sharingan to remain as invisible as possible. Kakashi and Yamato emerged from the hotel and stood behind Naruto to see what was going on. Then, Sakura said something so quietly that even my sensitive hearing didn't register it. It must've been important because Naruto looked surprised.

"What...did you...just say, Sakura? Did I hear you right...? Maybe say it again...?" Yep, he was definitely surprised, along with everyone else. I looked at Sakura.

"Naruto...I said, I love you!" She repeated, blushing.

"Whoa!" I whispered.

"Sasuke doesn't mean anything to me anymore! I was totally wrong to ever like him in the first place. ...You ought to listen carefully when a girl confesses her feelings to you!" Naruto's face still registered shock, but slowly that expression changed to suspicion.

"...But why...? Why tell me...?" He asked. "It's not funny if it's a joke... ...Sakura. What...is going on...?"

"Nothing, really. It's just that I finally woke up. I can't continue to love a rouge shinobi, a criminal. I'm not a child anymore... I can separate reality from fantasy." Sakura explained. "So, Naruto... You can forget your promise to me... You can stop chasing Sasuke..." She smiled uneasily. _Unconvincingly_ in my opinion. Naruto's suspicious expression changed to uncertainty.

"What do you mean?" Yamato demanded. Kakashi held his arm in front of Yamato to block him from getting to Sakura.

"What's happened to you, Sakura? You just suddenly start liking me...?" Naruto asked.

"I'm asking the same question..." I whispered to myself.

"I told you, nothing's happened!" She assured. "As for why I fell in love with you, it's obvious..." She paused for a few moments and then she came closer to Naruto and wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on his shoulder. Naruto didn't move. Kakashi and Yamato were giving them uneasy looks. I assumed the others were too. "Sasuke just keeps running farther and farther away from me... But you, Naruto... You have always stuck by my side. ...Cheered me up... And I...finally saw it... ...Your true self. The hero who defended our village... Right now, everyone loves you... I am simply one of them... You used to be a mischievous, prankster loser... But now you've become something wonderful and splendid... ...And I've watched it all happen. Front row seat." Her features suddenly saddened. "Meanwhile, Sasuke keeps adding to his crimes...and crushing my heart... ...Always becoming more of a stranger that I don't recognize. But, Naruto... I'm able to be close to you, like this... ...And you give me comfort... So right now, from the bottom of my heart, I truly care..." Naruto suddenly grabbed Sakura by her shoulders and pulled her away from him so their eyes met. He didn't look too pleased.

"Quit it, Sakura! This joke is not funny!" He snapped. Sakura flinched, but she smiled.

"What are you so mad about? I just told you I like you instead of Sasuke. You know that saying, right? 'Women are as fickle autumn weather.'" Naruto's grip on her shoulders tightened.

"I...**hate** people who lie to themselves!" Naruto told her. Sakura glared at him.

"I'm... ...Lying to myself?" She jerked out of Naruto's grip. "I think I know my own heart. I know how I feel! If you hate me, just come out and say so! Don't make some lame excuse." She growled. Naruto held his hands up.

"But it's just weird! You came all the way here just to say this to me?" He questioned. Sakura was offended no doubt about it.

"Just?" She began.

"Uh-oh." I whispered.

"Just? You think it's so easy for a girl to profess love? And what do you mean, came all the way here? Of course I'd come all the way here! You're always talking about Sasuke this and Sasuke that, and chasing after Sasuke. Getting yourself into dangerous situations! You're the Nine Tails' Jinchuriki, targeted by the Akatsuki! Why don't you worry about your own skin for a change? You see, I...! I'm trying to tell you that you don't have to go chasing after Sasuke to the point of putting yourself in danger! I came here to find you because I want you to return to the village right away! That's all!" She totally went off on Naruto.

"It just sounds like an excuse. I mean, I get where you're coming from, Sakura." He replied calmly.

"So why don't you understand? I don't care about Sasuke anymore now that he's a criminal! So the promise between us doesn't stand anymore, either!" She told him. Naruto sighed and closed his eyes.

"But it's not just about that promise." He opened his eyes and I could tell he was thinking deeply, well, as deeply as that idiot could think. "Sasuke really loved his family and clan..."

"Naruto..." I whispered. He really was the one who understood me the most. I shut my eyes to stop the tears that threatened to spill at the memory of my clan—my family.

"And I think it's because his love is so deep, it's hard for him to forgive."

"Unh...unh..." I couldn't help but let a few tears fall. _Damn Naruto._ I took a few deep breaths and wiped my eyes. For the first time Kiba spoke up.

"Then why, after defeating the unforgivable Itachi... ...Did he ally with Akatsuki?" He asked. I was about to blow my cover and defend my dead brother, until Naruto spoke.

"That's not how it went down... What really happened was..." Naruto began.

"Naruto!" Kakashi cut him off. Naruto glanced back at Kakashi and nodded. Everyone else radiated confusion.

"Anyway, it doesn't matter... ...Even if there's no promise between us anymore." Naruto looked back at Sakura. "Cuz I want to rescue Sasuke my own way." Kiba whispered something in Sakura's ear and she stomped on his toe.

"Oww!" He groaned.

"Enough! I'm going home!" She snapped, turning away from Naruto. "Let's go! Kiba, Lee, Sai!"

"Sakura..." Lee muttered.

"C'mon. Go." Kiba said, siding with Sakura. They all walked off, leaving Naruto, Kakashi, and Yamato standing outside the hotel.

"That was unexpected." I muttered. I kept watching as Kakashi and Yamato said something to Naruto, and then they disappeared inside the hotel. Naruto punched a wall in frustration, leaving a large dent. I smirked.

"I should head back." I whispered to myself. I made a hand sign and appeared in front of the infirmary I woke up in. When Karin saw me she began to giggle and practically squeezed me to death. She let go of me and sighed.

"I'm glad you're still in one piece. So what now?" She asked, running her finger down my chest. I grabbed her hand.

"Well, miss touchy-feely... Our next stop is Ame. But we have to wait for Jugo and Suigetsu." I told her.

"What's to wait for?" Suigetsu grinned and waved at Karin and I. I glared at him and released her hand. Jugo was right behind Suigetsu.

"We're going to Ame, right?" Jugo confirmed. I nodded.

"Why?" Suigetsu asked, taking a sip of his water.

"Madara wants a word with the whole team." I explained. "Come."

**To be continued... Reviews are most welcome! Hope you like this and hope you ppls look forward to the next chap! o/_\o (lol itachi)**


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